The Inquisition
The '''Inquisition' was a procedure enacted under the Arkn King Gilgamesh to purge dangerous heretical magick and other practices from the kingdom. A great many magi, including Raziel and his family, were exiled from society, executed, or defected. The magick history of Paradisium was erased, with The Choir taking the place of the former Magick College. History Origins During the period of peace following the first War, King Gilgamesh began to fear losing his power and control over the Arkn. He began a partnership with a disguised Hash'bor'kanibal, whom he sent on spy missions throughout his kingdom. Any suspicions of treachery were swiftly and brutally punished, and the resulting destruction was blamed on a fearful Dekn warlord called "The Carver" (who acted under a cover of darkness). During one of these spy missions, Hash'born discovered that Raziel, the Arknmagus of Paradisium, had broken both the laws of the city and his own vow before the Hethe: he had taken a partner, and together they had produced three children. Worse, Raziel's daughter, Jos'sephine, had taken Gilgamesh's own partner, Kry'atha, as a lover, and produced a daughter with her."3) The Order", Arknthology Stories (Remade) While Raziel's progeny were among the most respected Arkn in the city, Gilgamesh feared that their Hethian blood might outrank his own, and that they (and the other magi) might one day rise up and overthrow him. Together with Hash'born, he appeared before the Council and revealed his findings about Raziel's activities; he demanding that the Arknmagus and his offspring be put to death. The Council initially refused to believe the King, calling his accusations heretical and obscene and declaring that he was "no true king". However, Hash'born shortly stepped in;"6) The Council", Arknthology Stories (Remade). the disguised Dekn made the guards stationed around the room vanish, then used his mind controll abilities to manipulate the Council. He ordered them to sentence the "offenders", telling them not to execute Raziel, but to execute his children and his partner, Hazel (who would be given The Bastard's Decay and have his throat slit)."7) The Decision", Arknthology Stories (Remade). Raziel and his immediate family were located and placed under arrest."_11", T''he Writings of Raziel''. Jos'sephine alone escaped, being killed by an explosion of magick energy moments before Hash'born arrived at her home.Queen of Faith. Hash'born found her infant daughter unharmed; after allowing Gilgamesh to name her, he placed her in the care of a noble Magi family. Raziel's surviving children were dragged into the center of the city before a mocking, jeering crowd (who called them "abominations"). Raziel was bound to a pole by magick chains of his own creation, and forced to watch as his children's blood flowed in the city's square."_11", The Writings of Raziel. Following the executions of their children, Raziel and Hazel were brought before the Council. As Hash'born had decreed, the Council declared that Raziel, as one of the First Arkn (and a Hethe-blooded), would not be put to death; however, Hazel would be executed, and Raziel would be stripped of his title and honors. Hazel and Raziel were fastened to poles opposite one another, bound by chains anointed with the blood of the executioners (which prevented escape or the use of healing magicks). Raziel was again forced to watch —'' this time as Hazel slowly bled to death over the course of two days. Afterwards, Raziel was exiled from society; his ''Book of Magick ''(containing all of his knowledge of magick and the First Reality) was given to the Crusader Raphael for safekeeping."_11", ''The Writings of Raziel. The Council hoped that this would severely limit Raziel's power by preventing him from contacting the magick strings. The Inquisition Gilgamesh wasn't satisfied. He still feared the power of the Magi, and that they might rise up and overpower him. Hash'born took advantage of this, stoking the fears of the King and the rest of the old blood among the Paradisium aristocracy: the politicians and warriors of the city, who already feared and distrusted the Magi. He began spreading (and encouraging) rumors that a civil war was looming: that the Magi were plotting to overthrow the rest of the aristocracy, and that they had begun experimenting with "perverse Dekn magicks" (i.e. Psionics). He claimed that heretical magick students had overpowered their teachers had taken over the Magick College; that they were tattooing evil magick symbols and spells on their faces, and that channeling magick through their minds had twisted them into "monsters". "Chapter 1", Queen of Faith. Gilgamesh and his supporters (including Hash'bor'kanibal) began by targeting the older, more powerful Magi families. First, the fledglings''—''young Arkn from powerful magi families''—''were sent away to Earth, where they were killed by "Dekn". Next, the older magi were met with similar fates, being sent to attack neutral Dekn Nomad-Lords on Earth (where their deaths were passed off as "accidents"). A few magi, such as Circe, managed to survive the purge by escaping and going into hiding. After the old family lines had been eradicated, the Inquisition set about eradicating the Magick College. The college was shut down, and The Choir took its place, with every trace of the city's former ties to magick erased from history. Any surviving magi were arrested and executed under charges of heresy. Using The Choir, the Council was able to secretly control any Arkn who might potentially pose a threat: those with latent magickal powers were pressed into the service of the gods, where they were under the constant eye of the Council and prohibited from having families and mates (making them easy to exterminate). Originally, the Choir had twelve seats. However, this changed after the Intoner, Cele'Ra'Cria, died under suspicious circumstances, and the news of her death caused a riot to break out. Zophiel, the High Muse, became the new Intoner, and the number of seats in The Choir was reduced to six, further limiting their power (while Cele'Ra'Cria was never spoken of again). One of the last families to die by the Inquisition was a noble magi family that had taken in Ambriel. Hash'bor'kanibal manipulated Zophiel into killing them, and had Lahabrea placed in The Choir, to be raised under their care. Known Victims * [[Raziel|'Raziel']]' '(Arknmagus. Arrested for breaking his vow of celibacy, experimenting with Dekn magicks. Forced to watch family's execution before being stripped of his titles, exiled for 1000 years.) * Hazel (Arkn husband of Raziel. Executed.) * [[Jos'sephine|'Jos'sephine']] (Magi and former Prophet to Mankind. Daughter of Raziel. Declared an abomination, and sentenced to death for producing a child with Kry'atha. Killed before she could be taken into custody.) * Nath’haniel (Son of Raziel. Executed as an "abomination".) * Viic’ter (Son of Raziel. Executed as an "abomination".) * Kry'atha ' ''(Former Arkn High Priestess. Chosen partner of Gilga'mesh. Sentenced to death for producing a child with Jos'sephine. Escaped and Defected, becoming the Empress of the Dekn.) * '''Circe (Alchemist. Fled to Earth to avoid execution.) * Unnamed Arkn Nomad (Lover of the Dekn Nomad Phoenix. Executed for treason.) * Phoenix (Dekn Nomad. Sentenced to death for taking an Arkn Nomad as a lover.) * Unnamed Magi (Adoptive parent of Ambriel. Executed for experimenting with Dekn magicks.) * Unnamed Magi (Adoptive parent of Ambriel. Executed for experimenting with Dekn magicks.) Notes and Trivia * It is uncertain which Council passed sentence on Raziel's family, or whether the Inquisition began in Paradisium or Elysia. Raziel states that his children were prominent figures within "the city" — presumably Elysia, since they lived on the outskirts of that city. However, the references to the Inquisition in Book of the Mother make it sound as if it began in Paradisium. This may be due to the apparent confusion among creators about the distinctions between Paradisium and Elysia. References Category:Universe A Category:Events & Phenomena